Multimedia player displaying operation panel depending on contents

ABSTRACT

A digital content operating apparatus, including: a communication unit which communicates with an external device which has a display for displaying the digital content; a user operation interface which receives a user operation to control the digital content which is displayed on the external device; a display which displays either a linear content operation panel or an interactive content operation panel; and a controller which controls the user operation interface corresponding to information on the digital content which is displayed on the external device; wherein either the linear content operation panel or the interactive content operation panel is displayed alternatively as the user operation interface on the display.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/868,139, filedJul. 19, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/670,155, filed Aug. 7, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,470,379, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/287,074, filed Oct. 6,2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,743,129, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/443,955, filed Apr. 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.9,489,985, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/508,209, filed Aug. 23, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,394. Thisapplication relates to and claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2005-248576, filed on Aug. 30, 2005. The entirety of thecontents and subject matter of all of the above is incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to image rendering techniques for anapparatus which reproduces digital contents multiplexing a plurality ofcontents having different information, and more particularly to imagerendering techniques for reproduction control of digital contents byusing user operation interfaces.

A conventional digital broadcasting compatible HOD/DVD decoder which isa digital content reproduction apparatus requires, in addition tochannel tuning, reproduction control keys for linear contents such asvideo and audio, the keys including “reproduce”, “stop”, “fast forward”,“fast backward”, “temporary stop” and other operation keys. Theapparatus further requires “up”, “down”, “right”, “left”, “decide” andfour-color keys for operation control of data broadcasting. In order todeal with all functions, a number of remote keys are required. It takeslearning time in order for a user master an operation method, or thereis an issue of not easy to use.

As described in JP-A-2005-73022, there is known a broadcast receivingapparatus which provides a user with illumination of a usable key of aremote controller in accordance with information on digital contents.Typical apparatus which perform reproduction control by graphical userinterface (GUI) digital include a digital broadcasting compatiblepersonal computer and a DVD reproduction compatible personal computer.In these apparatus, reproduction keys for linear contents andinteractive contents are displayed on a screen and unusable keys aredisabled so that it is possible to improve user easy to use performance.However, in order to display all keys, a large panel rendering area isrequired. Since linear contents and interactive contents are multiplexedand transmitted for digital broadcasting, these contents are alsorecorded in a multiplexed state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus described in JP-A-2005-73022 is required to mount all keysso that a remote controller having a large area is used. Similarly, theapparatus using GUI is also required to display all keys so that a wideoperation panel rendering area is used.

Information on data added digital broadcasting includes up-to-date news,weather forecast and the like. There arises an issue of a lapse of anappreciation term, when reproduction is made.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to displayautomatically only usable operation keys in accordance with informationon digital contents. Accordingly, a user operation learning time can beshortened, since the panel rendering area is made small, a mouse motiondistance can be shortened, and an easy to use performance can beimproved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a digitalcontent reproduction apparatus capable of having a relatively largeimage display area by making small a panel rendering area. It is anotherobject of the present invention to provide a digital contentreproduction apparatus capable of reproduction within an appreciationterm by monitoring information on digital contents.

According to the digital content reproduction apparatus of the presentinvention, a plurality of user operation interfaces of the same size areprovided, information on digital contents is monitored, and uponoccurrence of a change in the information, the user operation interfacesare automatically and exclusively displayed in the same panel renderingarea so that only usable operation keys can be displayed. Information ondigital contents is monitored and display is controlled in accordancewith digital content attributes.

According to the present invention, a plurality of user operationinterfaces of the same size are provided, information on digitalcontents is monitored, and upon occurrence of a change in theinformation, the user operation interfaces are automatically andexclusively displayed in the same panel rendering area so that onlyusable operation keys can be displayed and a user operation learningtime can be shortened.

According to the present invention, since the panel rendering area ismade small, a mouse motion distance can be shortened so that a user easyto use performance can be improved.

According to the present invention, since the panel rendering area ismade small, the image display area can be made relatively large.

According to the present invention, only information within anappreciation term can be presented by controlling the display state inaccordance with information on digital contents.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description of the embodiments of theinvention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative diagram showing the layout of a screen of theapparatus shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is an illustrative diagram showing a linear content operationpanel of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram showing an interactive contentoperation panel of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative diagram showing the layout of screens of theapparatus shown in FIG. 9 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 is an illustrative diagram showing digital content attributesaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the digital content reproduction apparatus recordsbroadcast data received at a broadcast receiving unit 1 in a data recordunit 3 with involvement of a data input/output control unit 2. The datainput/output control unit 2 reads data from the data record unit 3 andsupplies the read data via a data extraction (demultiplex) unit 4 to acontent decode unit 6 which decodes the supplied data and sends thedecoded data to an image rendering unit 7. A data monitor unit 5 alwaysmonitors information on digital contents in the data extraction unit 4,and in accordance with a change in the information, instructs the imagerendering unit 7 to perform rendering of an user operation interfacecorresponding to the information on the contents. The decoded contentsand the user operation interface are superposed and output as image databy the image rendering unit 7. A user input to the displayed useroperation interface from a mouse, a keyboard or a remote controller issent to a user operation input unit 8 which transfers the user operationinformation to a system control unit 9. In accordance with the useroperation information, the system control unit 9 controls the broadcastreceiving unit 1, data input/output control unit 2, data extraction unit4, content decode unit 6 and image rendering unit 7.

Next, description will be made on the user operation interface duringdigital broadcast reproduction.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show image display states during digital broadcastreproduction. A monitor AI has a content display area A2 and anoperation panel display area A3. During reproduction of linear contentssuch as moving image contents, a linear content operation panel A4 isdisplayed in the operation panel display area A3, the linear contentoperation panel providing functions of reproduce, stop, temporary stop,fast forward, fast backward, previous skip, next skip and the like.

During reproduction of interactive contents such as data broadcastcontents, an interactive content operation panel A5 is displayed in theoperation panel display area A3, the interactive content operation panelproviding functions of numerical keys from 0 to 9, up/down/right/leftkeys, a decide key, blue/red/green/yellow keys and other keys.

The linear content operation panel A4 and interactive content operationpanel AS are displayed exclusively and are not displayed at the sametime. The functions provided by the linear content operation panel A4and interactive content operation panel A5 are not limited to thosedescribed above, but the functions may be increased or decreased inaccordance with the apparatus function.

Next, by taking Japanese terrestrial digital broadcasting as an example,description will be made on a specific digital content monitoringmethod.

TV type services, data broadcasting services and data added TV servicesare defined for Japanese terrestrial digital broadcasting (Associationof Radio Industries and Businesses: Terrestrial Digital TelevisionBroadcasting Operational Guideline TR-B14). Program specific information(PSI) on digital broadcasting contains a program map table (PMT). PMTcontains a data encode descriptor which contains an auto_start_flag.

In data added TV services, if the auto_start_flag is “1”, databroadcasting is automatically displayed, whereas if it is “0”, databroadcasting is displayed upon instruction from a user. The data monitorunit monitors the auto_start_flag, and when the flag becomes “1”, theinteractive content operation panel A5 is displayed, and when the flatbecomes “0”, the linear content operation panel A4 is displayed.

In this embodiment, the linear content operation panel and interactivecontent operation panel are provided, information on digital contents ismonitored, and upon occurrence of a change in the information, thepanels are automatically and exclusively displayed in the operationpanel display area A3 of the same panel rendering area size.Accordingly, only usable operation keys can be displayed, a useroperation learning time can be shortened, since the panel rendering areais made small, a mouse motion distance can be shortened, and an easy touse performance can be improved. Further, since the panel rendering areais made small, the image display area can be made relatively large.

In this embodiment, although terrestrial digital broadcasting has beendescribed, the embodiment is also used for reproduction of other digitalcontents. Also in this case, the operation panel can be switchedautomatically by monitoring the content switching flag.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Description will be made on only different points from thedescription described so far.

In the above description, although data is supplied to the apparatus byusing broadcasting waves, in this embodiment, digital content servicesvia a network B1 are assumed. In this case, data can be acquired via anetwork connection unit B2 connected to the network B1. The datainput/output control unit 2 and other succeeding units are similar tothose described above, and the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Description will be made on only different points from theforegoing description.

In the foregoing description, although data acquired by the networkconnection unit B2 connected to the network B1 is recorded in the datarecord unit 3, in this embodiment, video on demand (VOD) type servicesare assumed and a data record unit is not provided in the reproductionapparatus. The data input/output unit 2 requests a VOD service centerabout necessary data via the network connection unit B2 and network B1.The data input/output control unit 2 and other succeeding units aresimilar to those described above, and the description thereof isomitted.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the structure of a digital contentreproduction apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Description will be made on only different points from theforegoing description.

In the foregoing description, although data acquired by usingbroadcasting waves is recorded in the data record unit 3, in thisembodiment, the broadcast receiving unit 1 is not provided and only datarecorded beforehand in the data record unit 3 is reproduced. Thisembodiment assumes an apparatus dedicated only to reproduction. The datainput/output control unit 2 and other succeeding units are similar tothose described above, and the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative diagram showing the layout of screens of theapparatus shown in FIG. 9 . In the foregoing description, although asingle monitor is used which has both the content display area andoperation panel display area, in this embodiment, a first monitor A6 hasa content display area A2 and a second monitor A7 has an operation paneldisplay area A3. If a remote controller or the like has the operationpanel display area A3, the number of keys of the remote controller canbe reduced. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the structure of the digitalcontent reproduction apparatus of this embodiment.

A different point from the foregoing description resides in that acontent rendering unit 7 b and an operation panel rendering unit 7 c areindependent. Other points are similar to the foregoing description, andthe description thereof is omitted. FIGS. 10 to 12 show the structuresthat the content rendering unit 7 b and operation panel rendering unit 7c are made independent as different from the foregoing description.Other points are similar to the foregoing description, and thedescription thereof is omitted.

FIGS. 10 to 12 are similar to those figures described above. In theforegoing description, although the data monitor unit monitors theauto_start_flag, in this embodiment, attributes of digital contents arerecorded and a data broadcasting descriptive language BML (BroadcastMarkup Language) is analyzed.

FIG. 13 shows examples of the attributes and language analysis results.Information on data added digital broadcasting includes up-to-date news,weather forecast and the like. These contents have a nature of anappreciation term and it is difficult to consider that these contentsare referred to after, e.g., one month. In this embodiment, therefore, acontent appreciation term is set beforehand in accordance with recorddays and times and information on the contents. If contents are outsidethe appreciation term, data broadcasting is not displayed even if theauto_start_flag is “1”, but the linear content operation panel isdisplayed. If the contents are within the appreciation term and a userdoes not still view the contents, the data broadcasting is automaticallydisplayed even if the auto_start_flag is “0” and the interactive contentoperation panel is displayed. Only new information can be presented forviewing, by controlling the display state in accordance with informationon digital contents.

It should be further understood by those skilled in the art thatalthough the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of theinvention, the invention is not limited thereto and various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A digital content reproducing apparatus,comprising: a display having a first display area and a second displayarea, wherein the first display area is at least within a top half ofthe display and the second display area is within a bottom half of thedisplay, the first display area being relatively larger than the seconddisplay area; a data recorder for recording digital content; a networkconnector configured to connect to a network; a content decoder fordecoding the digital content recorded by the data recorder; an imagerenderer configured to render the decoded digital content on the displaysuch that the display displays the decoded digital content in the firstarea of the display, wherein the display is further configured todisplay the decoded digital content together with an alternative displayof a linear operation panel allowing user-instruction regarding linearreproduction functions of the displayed digital content and aninteractive operation panel allowing user-instruction of interactivefunctions to an outside of the digital content reproducing apparatus,wherein the linear operation panel and the interactive operation panelare distinct panels from each other; and a controller configured tocontrol a plurality of display states of the display and control thealternative display of the linear operation panel and the interactiveoperation panel, wherein only one of the linear operation panel and theinteractive operation panel is displayed together with the displayeddigital content, wherein the displayed digital content is displayedconcurrently in one screen together with either the linear operationpanel or the interactive operation panel such that the display isfurther configured to: display the decoded digital content together withthe linear operation panel such that the decoded digital content isdisplayed in the first area at least within the top half of the displayand the linear operation panel is displayed in the second area withinthe bottom half of the display, the decoded digital content beingdisplayed relatively larger than the display of the linear operationpanel, and alternatively display the decoded digital content togetherwith the interactive operation panel such that the decoded digitalcontent is displayed in the first area at least within the top half ofthe display and the interactive operation panel is displayed in thesecond area within the bottom half of the display, the decoded digitalcontent being displayed relatively larger than the display of theinteractive operation panel and the interactive operation panel beingdisplayed within the same bottom half where the linear operation panelwas previously displayed, and wherein a broadcast reception unit is notprovided and in one of the plurality of display states digital contentrecorded in the data recorder is alternatively displayed with the linearoperation panel and the interactive operation panel, the one of theplurality of display states corresponding to a reproduction state inwhich broadcast content is not displayed in the display.
 2. The digitalcontent reproducing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the linear operationpanel has a predetermined size and the interactive operation panel alsohas a predetermined size.
 3. The digital content reproducing apparatusof claim 1, wherein alternatively displaying the decoded digital contenttogether with the interactive operation panel and the linear contentpanel includes displaying the interactive operation panel within thesame bottom half automatically where the linear operation panel waspreviously displayed.
 4. The digital content reproducing apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a browser connected to the image renderer.5. The digital content reproducing apparatus of claim 1, wherein thedigital content is associated with attribute information of the digitalcontent, the attribute information including viewing history thatindicates an amount of the digital content a user has watched.
 6. Adigital content displaying apparatus, comprising: a display having afirst display area and a second display area, wherein the first displayarea is at least within a top half of the display and the second displayarea is within a bottom half of the display, the first display areabeing relatively larger than the second display area; a networkconnector configured to connect to a network and receiving digitalcontent via the network; a content decoder for decoding the digitalcontent received by the network connector; an image renderer configuredto render the decoded digital content on the display such that thedisplay displays the decoded digital content in the first area of thedisplay, wherein the display is further configured to display thedecoded digital content together with an alternative display of a linearoperation panel allowing user-instruction regarding linear reproductionfunctions of the displayed digital content and an interactive operationpanel allowing user-instruction of interactive functions to an outsideof the digital content reproducing apparatus, wherein the linearoperation panel and the interactive operation panel are distinct panelsfrom each other; and a controller configured to control a plurality ofdisplay states of the display and control the alternative display of thelinear operation panel and the interactive operation panel, wherein onlyone of the linear operation panel and the interactive operation panel isdisplayed together with the displayed digital content, and wherein inone of the plurality of display states the displayed digital content isdisplayed concurrently in one screen together with either the linearoperation panel or the interactive operation panel, the one of theplurality of display states corresponding to a video on demand (VOD)service state in which broadcast content is not displayed in the displayarea and the display is further configured to: display the decodeddigital content together with the linear operation panel such that thedecoded digital content is displayed in the first area at least withinthe top half of the display and the linear operation panel is displayedin the second area within the bottom half of the display, the decodeddigital content being displayed relatively larger than the display ofthe linear operation panel, and alternatively display the decodeddigital content together with the interactive operation panel such thatthe decoded digital content is displayed in the first area at leastwithin the top half of the display and the interactive operation panelis displayed in the second area within the bottom half of the display,the decoded digital content being displayed relatively larger than thedisplay of the interactive operation panel and the interactive operationpanel being displayed in the same bottom half where the linear operationpanel was previously displayed.
 7. The digital content displayingapparatus of claim 6, wherein the digital content is associated withattribute information including first attribute information thatassociates an appreciation term with the digital content and secondattribute information corresponding to viewing history of the digitalcontent.
 8. The digital content displaying apparatus of claim 7, whereinthe viewing history indicates an amount of the digital content a userhas watched.
 9. The digital content displaying apparatus of claim 7,wherein the controller controls the display of the digital content suchthat the digital content is displayed when the appreciation termincluded in the first attribute information has not lapsed.
 10. Thedigital content displaying apparatus of claim 6, wherein a data recordunit is not provided such that in the one of the plurality of displaystates recorded content is not displayed in the display and only digitalcontent received from the video on demand (VOD) service is displayed.11. The digital content displaying apparatus of claim 6, wherein whenthe digital content displaying apparatus receives a user operation torequest the video on demand services, the network connector connects tothe network to receive the digital content via the video on demand (VOD)service.
 12. The digital content displaying apparatus of claim 6,wherein the digital content reproducing apparatus is configured toreceive a user operation from a remote controller external to thedigital content reproducing apparatus.
 13. The digital contentdisplaying apparatus of claim 6, wherein the digital content received bythe network connector connecting to the network is not broadcastcontent.
 14. The digital content displaying apparatus of claim 6,wherein the linear operation panel has a predetermined size and theinteractive operation panel also has a predetermined size.
 15. Thedigital content displaying apparatus of claim 6, wherein alternativelydisplaying the decoded digital content together with the interactiveoperation panel and the linear content panel includes displaying theinteractive operation panel within the same bottom half automaticallywhere the linear operation panel was previously displayed.
 16. Thedigital content displaying apparatus of claim 6, further comprising abrowser connected to the image renderer.
 17. The digital contentdisplaying apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a data recorder forrecording video content for purposes of displaying video content on thedisplay concurrently in one screen together with either the linearoperation panel or the interactive operation panel.
 18. The digitalcontent displaying apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller includesa CPU.
 19. The digital content displaying apparatus of claim 6, furthercomprising a tuner for receiving broadcast content and alternativelydisplaying the linear operation panel and the interactive operationpanel together with the broadcast content.
 20. A digital contentdisplaying apparatus, comprising: a display having a first display areaand a second display area, wherein the first display area is at leastwithin a top half of the display and the second display area is within abottom half of the display, the first display area being relativelylarger than the second display area; a network connector configured toconnect to a network and receiving digital content via the network,wherein the digital content is associated with attribute informationcorresponding to viewing history of the digital content indicating anamount of the digital content a user has watched; a content decoder fordecoding the digital content received by the network connector; an imagerenderer connected to a browser and configured to render the decodeddigital content on the display such that the display displays thedecoded digital content in the first area of the display, wherein thedisplay is further configured to display the decoded digital contenttogether with an alternative display of a linear operation panelallowing user-instruction regarding linear reproduction functions of thedisplayed digital content and an interactive operation panel allowinguser-instruction of interactive functions to an outside of the digitalcontent reproducing apparatus, the linear operation panel having apredetermined size, wherein the linear operation panel and theinteractive operation panel are distinct panels from each other; and acontroller configured to control a plurality of display states of thedisplay and control the alternative display of the linear operationpanel and the interactive operation panel, wherein only one of thelinear operation panel and the interactive operation panel is displayedtogether with the displayed digital content, and wherein in one of theplurality of display states the displayed digital content is displayedconcurrently in one screen together with either the linear operationpanel or the interactive operation panel, the one of the plurality ofdisplay states corresponding to a video on demand (VOD) service state inwhich broadcast content is not displayed in the display and the displayis further configured to: display the decoded digital content togetherwith the linear operation panel such that the decoded digital content isdisplayed in the first area at least within the top half of the displayand the linear operation panel is displayed in the second area withinthe bottom half of the display, the decoded digital content beingdisplayed relatively larger than the display of the linear operationpanel, and alternatively display the decoded digital content togetherwith the interactive operation panel such that the decoded digitalcontent is displayed in the first area at least within the top half ofthe display and the interactive operation panel is displayed in thesecond area within the bottom half of the display, the decoded digitalcontent being displayed relatively larger than the display of theinteractive operation panel and the interactive operation panel beingdisplayed in the same bottom half where the linear operation panel waspreviously displayed.
 21. The digital content reproducing apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein alternatively displaying the decoded digital contenttogether with the interactive operation panel and the linear contentpanel includes displaying the interactive operation panel within thesame bottom half automatically where the linear operation panel waspreviously displayed.
 22. A method for displaying digital content on adigital content reproducing apparatus, comprising: displaying, on adisplay, a first display area and a second display area, wherein thefirst display area is at least within a top half of the display and thesecond display area is within a bottom half of the display, the firstdisplay area being relatively larger than the second display area;receiving digital content via a network; decoding digital contentreceived via the network; rendering the decoded digital content on thedisplay; displaying the decoded digital content in the first area of thedisplay such that the decoded digital content is displayed together withan alternative display of a linear operation panel allowinguser-instruction regarding linear reproduction functions of thedisplayed digital content and an interactive operation panel allowinguser-instruction of interactive functions to an outside of the digitalcontent reproducing apparatus, wherein the linear operation panel andthe interactive operation panel are distinct panels from each other; andcontrolling, as one of a plurality of display states of the display, thealternative display of the linear operation panel and the interactiveoperation panel such that only one of the linear operation panel and theinteractive operation panel is displayed together with the displayeddigital content and the displayed digital content is displayedconcurrently in one screen together with either the linear operationpanel or the interactive operation panel, the one of the plurality ofdisplay states corresponding to a video on demand (VOD) service state inwhich broadcast content is not displayed in the display, wherein thedecoded digital content is displayed together with the linear operationpanel such that the decoded digital content is displayed in the firstarea at least within the top half of the display and the linearoperation panel is displayed in the second area within the bottom halfof the display, the decoded digital content being displayed relativelylarger than the display of the linear operation panel, and whereinalternatively displaying the decoded digital content together with theinteractive operation panel includes displaying the decoded digitalcontent in the first area at least within the top half of the displayand displaying the interactive operation panel in the second area withinthe bottom half of the display, the decoded digital content beingdisplayed relatively larger than the display of the interactiveoperation panel and the interactive operation panel being displayed inthe same bottom half where the linear operation panel was previouslydisplayed.
 23. The method for displaying digital content of claim 22,wherein the digital content is associated with attribute informationincluding first attribute information that associates an appreciationterm with the digital content and second attribute informationcorresponding to viewing history of the digital content.
 24. The methodfor displaying digital content of claim 22, wherein the viewing historyindicates an amount of the digital content a user has watched.
 25. Themethod for displaying digital content of claim 22, further comprisingcontrolling the display of the digital content such that the digitalcontent is displayed when the appreciation term included in the firstattribute information has not lapsed.
 26. The method for displayingdigital content of claim 22, further comprising: receiving a useroperation to request video on demand services; and connecting to anetwork to receive the digital content via the video on demand (VOD)service.
 27. The method for displaying digital content of claim 22,further comprising receiving a user operation from a remote controllerexternal to the digital content reproducing apparatus.
 28. The methodfor displaying digital content of claim 22, wherein the digital contentreceived over the network is not broadcast content.